Late model racer Skylar Marlar started promoting go-kart races at Buffalo Creek Raceway in 2023. He said the experience gave him a new perspective on the sport. Marlar will take that with him as he competes in the season-opening doubleheader for the Save A Lot American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products at Ponderosa and Lake Cumberland speedways.
“I have a whole new respect for track promoters — I took it for granted,” Marlar, of Winfield, Tennessee, said. “I don’t go around pointing fingers anymore when things don’t go the way they should.”
Promoting isn’t easy. Grass doesn’t mow itself. A track doesn’t prep itself. And the financial liability, from insurance to marketing to staff, is heavy. For example, the last race at Buffalo Creek generated a profit less than $100. Marlar could have worked less hours and made more money working at a fast food restaurant.
“I’d like every racer to be a promoter for a race,” Marlar said. “Harold Hardgrove, who used to promote Lake Cumberland Speedway, had a sign that said, ‘If you don’t like how I run the place, buy me out.’”
Some liken promoting to gambling. You put all this money and time into wagering that you’ll get it back (and hopefully) more with attendance and concessions on race day. Being a racer can be the same way, putting all those resources into the race car. Marlar feels racing is less of a gamble, though.
“I can determine what position I’m going to put myself in throughout the night,” Marlar said. “If I don’t have a winning race car, I can stay back and run seventh. With a racetrack, you don’t know. We run Friday nights and the weather looked bad on a Friday. There was nothing going on around us on Saturday, so we moved [the race] to Saturday. It was terrible. I thought with weather being nice we’d pack the place.”
One thing is certain, though. You can count on Skylar Marlar racing the season-opening doubleheader for the Save A Lot American All-Star Series. The tour hits Ponderosa Speedway on Friday, April 10, and then moves to nearby Lake Cumberland Speedway on Saturday, April 11.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Outside Groove is a sponsor of the American All-Star Series. The American All-Star Series paid for the production of this article. The content is not subject to the approval of the American All-Star Series.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
